Ken Casellas | Photo: Hamilton Content Creators
Talented young reinsman Stuart McDonald achieved his biggest success in harness racing when he brought Caviar Star home with a well-timed burst to snatch a head victory over Vampiro in the Group 1 Fremantle Cup in January 2020.
And now the 28-year-old McDonald believes that he has sound prospects of winning the $300,000 Fremantle Cup on January 13 with tough New Zealand-bred stayer Gambit after driving the six-year-old $18.80 chance to a commanding victory over Magnificent Storm ($2.90) and To Fast To Serious ($34) in the $50,000 Group 2 Summit Bloodstock Navy Cup at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
“Gambit is good enough to win one of the big Cups; he’s as good as Caviar Star,” said McDonald.
Gambit gave Hall Of Fame trainer Gary Hall Snr a record eighth victory in the Navy Cup, following wins with Abit Rich (1997), Real Life (2009), Hokonui Ben (2012), Beaudiene Boaz (2016) and Chicago Bull (2017, 2018 and 2020).
McDonald was planning to race Gambit (from the No. 3 barrier) with a sit but was delighted to get straight to the front when the polemarker and stablemate Diego (the $1.95 favourite) galloped at the start and dropped back to last.
Gambit easily withstood an early challenge from Lavra Joe ($7.50) and after a modest lead time of 37.9sec. and opening quarters of 30.1sec. and 29.3sec. he sprinted over the final 400m sections in 27.4sec. and 28.6sec.
“We didn’t expect to be in front,” said McDonald. “We mapped out that Gambit would be racing one-out and one back or one-two, even though we thought that leading would be his best chance.
“Lavra Joe got to the breeze easily enough and Magnificent Storm lobbed one-one. They had their chances but couldn’t get me. When Magnificent Storm came alongside, I knew that Gambit would keep going. He is pretty tough, and he keeps running. He went to the line as good as any of them.
“Gambit knocked off a couple of times, which he can do. He gets a bit lackadaisical; he’s pretty casual, and that’s why he races with the hood on.”
Gambit, who had finished second at five of his seven previous runs, raced 22 times in New Zealand for six wins and six placings, with the best of his wins being in a Group 2 City of Auckland Free-For-All at Alexandra Park in March 2020.
His 26 starts in Western Australia have produced seven wins, 11 seconds and one third, taking his career record to 48 starts for 13 wins, 18 placings and $262,656 in prizemoney. He is by American stallion Shadow Play and is the eighth and last foal out of the Sands A Flyin mare Whata Breeze, who had 38 starts for four wins, 12 placings and $42,639.